When we received the announcement
package from Inc. 5000 we were so excited and anxious to discover one
thing, our ranking. It was a complete mystery and we had no way of
knowing that we would receive the announcement that Inspiranza Designs
is Number 157 on Inc. 5000's list of fastest growing companies in
America.

Earlier in July, we found out that Inspiranza Designs was on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America. Over the years the list included companies such as Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle, and Zappos.com. While we knew our growth was amazing, we had no idea that it would land us in the winner's
circle of Inc. 5000. And now that we were on the list, we wondered
where in the rankings we might fall. Was it too much to think that we
might end up in the top 500? Trying not to look too anxious and also
hold the scissors without cutting more than the box, we got down to the
business of getting that box open. We each took a swipe scoring the tape to be fair
because we are equal partners in the business, come what may, we share
in the good news and the bad news.

We'd already experienced the
bad news. That was a period of time that hit after the downturn of the
economy where we struggled to remain afloat. What followed was a five
year period where we came to work day after day, week after week, month
after month, and year after year and didn't take home a paycheck for
most of that time. Instead, we used every dime to pay down the debt that had accumulated during the season we called a silver storm.

When
the economy turned down, our product costs increased. Back in 2005
when we started the business silver was just over $7.00 an ounce and at
the height of the silver storm in April 2011 it was nearly $50.00 an ounce. As a result of the downturn in our economy, people were losing
their jobs and naturally stopped having expendable cash, our products
stopped moving out of the warehouse and silver manufacturers and direct
sales businesses closed up right and left. It was truly an economic
storm and we started eliminating everything to stay afloat. We stopped
our own paychecks in hopes the storm would end soon and we could
continue paying our employees but months into it we knew it was not
going to be a quick end. One by one we had to let our employees go and
that was the hardest part of the season because we loved them but we
could no longer pay them. Lots of disappointment and lots of tears but
we did not give up faith, we knew that God would not end what we felt
He inspired us to begin. We held on trusting He was not finished with
us.

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily,
surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it
seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be
patient! They will not be overdue a single day! Habakkuk 2:3

We
shared that silver storm, the bad news experience, and we would share
in the celebration of the good news together as we opened the box to
find that we were ranked 157 out of 5000. We were giddy, speechless,
and teary-eyed as we realized the good news was really really good!

But
the description of the list, fastest growing companies, didn't really
fit. We didn't grow fast. We started in 2005 and grew at a steady slow
pace until that silver storm nearly wiped us out. But then, as storms
pass, the sun came out and the economy began to reflect a slow
recovery. We learned a good deal about storm survival and storm
recovery but mostly we learned to be patient and trust in God!